The Writers’ Co-op

• Embrace Change website and Instagram
• Jumpstart Your Online Business
• How Best to Work with Me
• Join us on Patreon for access to our newsletters and Slack channel—a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers
• Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website

Nicole is a former journalist-turned-podcast host and bestselling author. As the founder of Nicole Tsong Coaching and the School of Self-Worth podcast, she helps Asian American women leaders release the pressure valve, supercharge their self-worth and master intuitive decision making. You can follow her on Instagram at @nicoletsong. 

Nicole dives into how career growth doesn’t have to be linear, how to feel grounded before making a big decision, and how to think of decision-making as an experiment. 

Resources: 

• The School of Self-Worth podcast

• Nicole’s 5-day Morning Routine Challenge

• Join us on Patreon for access to our newsletters and Slack channel—a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers

• Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website
  

Pam is an occupational therapist-turned-award-winning intuitive eating coach and journalist based in Boulder, Colorado. Wudan tells Pam more about how her business has changed drastically in the last three years as a result of a mindset shift, what it’s been like to run two businesses, and her goals for 2024.

Resources: 

• Article: Journalism isn’t who you are. It’s what you do.
• Worksheet: Writers’ Co-op business audit worksheet
• Webinar: Streamlining Journalism
• Newsletter: Real Nourished newsletter
• Podcast: Real Fit with Pam Moore
• Follow Pam Moore on LinkedIn or visit her website
• Join the Writer’s Co-op on Patreon at an All-Access level to receive episodes early, discounts on events and online resources, and access to our Slack channel—a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers
• Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website

This episode is a cross-post between The Writers' Co-op and Freelance Cake, a podcast for ambitious freelancers who want to get more results with less effort, hosted by Austin L. Church.

Austin had Wudan on his show to talk about how she cultivated a mindset of 'always be negotiating,' and how she got to a place where negotiations felt comfortable and conversation-like, rather than potentially contentious.

For updates, subscribe to thewriterscoop.substack.com

Join our inclusive and psychologically safe Slack community as an All-Access Patreon at www.patreon.com/twcpod

Amy is a visual journalist and fact-checker based in Vancouver, Canada. She covers environmental and indigenous issues for Reuters, The Walrus, The Guardian and The Globe and Mail, among many others. She is a National Geographic Explorer and a recipient of the Global Reporting Centre’s visual storytelling grant. 

Amy and Wudan discuss tactics for setting yourself up well for both fast and slow work, the mental and emotional toll of each type of work, and more.

Resources: 

• Join us on Patreon to get access to this episode's resource: Amy’s production calendar for mapping out fast and slow work. All-Access members also have access to our inclusive and psychologically safe Slack community for freelance creatives. 

• Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website

• If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/ 

Before Sara started her freelance business, she did a bit of everything at a high-growth startup. She was hired for marketing and did it all: SEO, social media, email, content strategy, messaging development, and so much more. You can follow Sara on Linkedin. 

Wudan and Sara dive into how to approach clueless clients without costing yourself too much money, emotional energy or sleep. 

Resources:

• Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website

• Join TWC as an All-Access member to get a very handy project proposal that Sara has shared on how to best work with a clueless client. All-Access level gets you more of these great resources, early access to episodes, and an in to our inclusive and psychologically safe Slack Community

• If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/

In this episode, Wudan talks to Melody Burdette. Melody is a freelance content strategist and copywriter based out of Billie, her Ford Transit. (Yes, that’s a van.) She spent the early part of her career working in editorial and e-commerce, and more recently in startups as a content strategist and copywriter. You can follow her on Instagram at @melskyburd and stay up-to-date with her course @PlayBigPlayBook. 

Wudan and Melody talk more about how to check in with your business on a regular basis – the same way that any company performs quarterly or annual reviews – and how to set up your own business retreat. 

Resources: 

• Video: Creative Retreat Structure

• Course: The Play Big Playbook and follow on Instagram @PlayBigPlayBook

• Interested in joining an inclusive and psychologically safe community for freelance creatives? Join The Writers’ Co-op on Patreon, and get access to our Slack community. Sign up anytime at www.patreon.com/twcpod 

In this episode, Wudan talks with Ruxandra (Rux) Guidi. Rux is a narrative journalist working in print and audio based in Tucson, Arizona. Her work is published in the BBC, NPR, Marketplace, High Country News, The New York Times and The Atlantic, among others. You can follow her at https://www.fonografiacollective.com/ or on Instagram.  

Rux and Wudan dig into how to reframe ‘marketing’ as something that is anti-hustle and anti-capitalistic, discuss the importance of community, and talk about drumming up work in a way that is unique to YOU.

Resources:

• TWC Podcast Episode: Embrace Authentic Marketing
• Authentic Marketing Booster Pack
• Interested in joining an inclusive and psychologically safe community for freelance creatives? Join The Writers’ Co-op on Patreon, and get access to our Slack community. Sign up anytime at www.patreon.com/twcpod

Leah is an independent journalist based in Portland, Oregon. Leah covers extremism in the US and has built an audience and a monetizable newsletter without the benefit of a staff job. You can follow her on Twitter. 

Leah and Wudan talk more about ownership over your work, building an audience and creating your own publication.  

Resources: 

• Newsletter: The Truth Does Not Change According to Our Ability to Stomach It
• Webinar: Build Your Audience & Monetize Your Newsletter
• Book: When the Moon Turns to Blood
• Podcasts: Burn Wild, Bundyville, Two Minutes Past Nine

Interested in joining an inclusive and psychologically safe community for freelance creatives? Join The Writers’ Co-op on Patreon, and get access to our Slack community. Sign up anytime at www.patreon.com/twcpod

Kat is a Wisconsin-based writer focused on blog content for software clients in the productivity, project management, and business ownership spaces. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter. Kat’s a high earner: In 2021, she grossed over $300k in income (netting over $175k after expenses) – which puts her effective hourly rates well above $100/h. Then, she welcomed a newborn last year and scaled back her work days even more, all while still earning six figures. 

Kat and Wudan talk about growing earnings, asking for raises, and how to know whether we’re really testing the limit of what we are making. 

Resources: 

• I Run a Six-Figure Business, But Now I Want to Take a Pay Cut by Kat Boogaard 

• Interview with Amanda Castleman

• Webinar: How to Price Freelance Writing Projects

• Join us on Patreon for access to our newsletters and Slack channel—a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers

• Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website

If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/

Simone is a journalist and designer based in San Francisco who’s published in The Atlantic, New York Times, and many other national outlets. He’s also an expert on work and teaches a whole class on designing your next career step. His first book, The Good Enough Job is out on May 23. He has had a fascinating career, weaving from journalism to working at the international design consulting firm, IDEO, and back to media. You can follow Simone on Twitter here. 

Simone outlines steps to take while considering making a big transition and drops some tips so you can go from idea to action!

Resources: 

• Simone’s course, ​​Designing Your Next Career Step
• Values card sort
• How to write a good email by Anne Helen Petersen
• Our episode on smaller career pivots
• Join us on Patreon to get access to this episode's resource: a worksheet to help you sketch out your next career step. Sign up at any time!
• Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website
• If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/ 

Karen is a freelance audio journalist, host, producer, editor, and voice coach based near Boston, MA. You can follow her on Twitter here. After more than 20 years working for WBUR and NPR’s “Only a Game,” she was laid off during the pandemic. 

Karen chose freelancing after having a full-time job for decades and gives advice for others to do the same. She helps create a game plan for full-timers to consider. Karen and Wudan talk about maintaining relationships, understanding the freelance market, building your own brand and so much more. 

Resources: 

• Because of the state of media right now, the worksheet for this episode will be available for free
• Our ⁠Layoff to Freelance Survival Guide⁠, which combines multiple resources on business planning, coming up with potential clients, and more, for those who are considering freelancing after getting laid off
• A free worksheet on processing your layoff⁠
• Join us on ⁠Patreon⁠ for access to our newsletters and Slack channel—a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers
• Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our ⁠website⁠
• If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/

Anna is a freelance writer and workflow consultant based outside of Chicago. She is super passionate about time management and a big proponent of time-blocking, or setting aside chunks of time dedicated to certain tasks or clients. You can follow her on Twitter, Substack and Medium.

Anna talks about how she condensed her workweek down to about 3.5 days while still earning enough to support herself and her family. She also shares tips and tricks so that you, too, could shave hours (or even days!) off your week. 

Resources: 

• Anna’s free eBook: Manage Your Time + Content Across Multiple Platforms

• Join us on Patreon to get access to this episode's resource: A worksheet that will help you figure out how to integrate time-blocking into your weekly routine. All-Access members are already continuing the conversation of reducing their workweek in our Slack, which you can join at any time.

• Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website

• If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/ 

Joanne is a freelance editor, romance writer, virtual assistant and coach based out of the Pacific Northwest. You can follow her on Twitter here.

Joanne talks more about different ways to redefine success in your life and gives advice on how to ensure you’re working toward your goals.

Resources:

• All-Access Patreon members will get a worksheet with journaling prompts so you’re able to redefine success for YOURSELF. Signing up via patreon.com/twcpod at the All-Access level gets you more of these great resources, early access to episodes, and an in to our inclusive and psychologically safe Slack Community
• Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website
• If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/

If you've got ideas for future episodes, or would like to be a guest, get in touch at thewriterscoop2@gmail.com.

If you're just discovering the show, we'd love for you to join our inclusive Patreon community at the All-Access level via patreon.com/twcpod. All-Access Patreons get in to the TWC Slack, a psychologically safe space for freelance creatives, in addition to discounts for events and to our resource store. We also have self-guided online courses in building a business plan and navigating contracts. 

See you in a few weeks! 

After Jenni and Emma met for their coaching session, Emma revamped her bio: Emma Diehl is a writer and editor specializing in finance, tech, and real estate content. Her specialty is mastering tricky topics (stuff like tax returns, AI, and home inspections) in a way that makes it easy for everyone to understand. When she's not combing through technical documents and research, she's fermenting stuff in her kitchen, learning to skateboard, and curating a pop culture recommendation newsletter. You can find her on Twitter and can read more about her work at https://www.emmadiehl.com/.

If you want to dig into marketing alongside Emma, you can download the market yourself booster pack. One worksheet walks you through revamping your website, and another is focused on journaling about why you’re a unique person and worker. The third worksheet is an exercise that comes from the book The Artist’s Way, which will help you  to make time for play through an artist’s date. And don’t forget: If you want to polish up your business, you can always enroll in our TWC online course on business planning.

Today we’re running our last live episode of the season! Jenni will be stepping away from TWC to focus on her family and health, and Wudan will carry on with managing the community and future iterations of the show. If you haven’t joined our Patreon program yet, please do – the Slack channel is always growing and a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers. 

Today’s episode is a Q&A. We talk about how to break into this industry if you don’t have a ton of experience or want to change your niche, where your energy is best focused during slow work seasons, the things we’ve learned from taking long leaves of absence from work, and how many hours a freelancer can reasonably spend on creative projects in one day.

Our Patreon members will get access to a worksheet about caregiving leave (which you can use to plan any kind of leave) as well as our tip sheet for handling slow seasons. You can always find those (and other resources!) in our store: https://www.thewriterscooppod.com/resources

Other resources:

• How to handle slow seasons
• Our business-planning course
• Caregiving leave episode

• Jenni's recent newsletter about how to make a decision
• Join us on Patreon to get access to this episode's resource: A worksheet that will help you think through whether or not you should stay in these less-than-ideal situations. Plus, our all-access members are already discussing this episode in our Slack group.
• Check out our business planning resources, worksheets and webinars.

Saying no is just as critical to running a freelance business as saying yes. You can't say yes to the right opportunities if you're filling up your time with assignments that don't pay well, or where clients mistreat you.  In this re-run from May 2020, Wudan and Jenni address reasons why you might say no to a freelance assignments (including if the pay rate is lower than you'd usually charge, if the project presents ethical dilemmas, or if your schedule is too full to allow you the time you need to do good work). We talk about how to say no without breaking off the relationship completely, so you can leave the door open for working together in the future.  Because saying no is tough, we've also called on veteran freelance writers, editors and journalists Brent Crane, Lesley Evans Ogden, Josh Sokol, Emily Krieger, and Alice Driver. In this episode, they offer tips for turning a yes into a no, and they talk about why saying no is so important to their business models.

If you're just getting started with your freelance business, you'll want to enroll in freelance biz school @ The Writers’ Co-op Academy! We're offering two courses: One that helps you build a business plan (Biz Basics) and one to help you understand media contracts. It's like 1-1 coaching, but cheaper.  

You're also invited to support the podcast by becoming an official Writers' Co-op member on Patreon. All members $3 and up get access to event discounts and more. All-Access members receive special worksheets and other downloads along with each episode, plus an exclusive episode at the end of each season, and access to our Slack channel. 

You can buy each episode's accompanying resources a la carte on our website. Episode transcriptions are also available there.

This episode was inspired by a tweet Jenni sent out about a month ago, asking about how people shape their days. In this episode, we dig into why pacing can change throughout seasons of your career, and we talk about ways to investigate if your pacing is working for you right now. We also talk about “fast” and “slow” work and whether either really says anything at all about quality.

If you haven’t done so yet, please leave us a review! Reviews help us reach more freelancers.

You can join us on Patreon, listen to our previous episode on overbooking, or follow us on social media. You can also refine your business by buying TWC resources or taking our online courses.

Now that season one is over, we've compiled every episode's resources into a workbook, which you can buy here. And we have a brand-new new offering: If you're just getting started with your freelance business, you'll want to enroll in freelance biz school @ The Writers’ Co-op Academy! We're offering two courses: One that helps you build a business plan (Biz Basics) and one to help you understand media contracts. It's like 1-1 coaching, but cheaper.

You're invited to support the podcast by becoming an official Writers' Co-op member on Patreon. All members $3 and up get access to event discounts, a Q&A form, and more. All-Access members receive special worksheets and other downloads along with each episode, plus an exclusive episode at the end of each season, and access to our Slack channel. And if you're a VIP or Pod Squad member, you also get monthly coaching sessions along with the aforementioned resources.

If you're not a member, you can buy each episode's accompanying resources a la carte on our website. Episode transcriptions are also available there.

You can find Matt on Twitter @mattvillano. His website is whalehead.com.

All-access Patreon members get a worksheet with journaling prompts to help reflect on how they can learn from their past mistakes. And, they’re already sharing their vulnerabilities over in the members-only Slack, so hop on over and join that conversation! Join today at: www.patreon.com/twcpod.

BTW: We have a TWC voicemail now! This season, we’d love to hear your voice. Tell us what you’d like more guidance on in your freelance business by calling 458-206-6127. You might even hear your voice on a future episode!

Links to dive into:

• On Choosing Abundance by Alex Sujong Laughlin
• Mastering the Discovery Call

We’re on pause right now when it comes to events, but keep an eye out for our fall line-up soon. In the meantime, check out our self-paced courses on our Teachable page. Summer can be a great time to refresh your business plan and offerings. And if you're not a member, you can always join our Patreon crew: https://www.patreon.com/twcpod

Other resources:

• Webinar: Breaking into Content Strategy
• Webinar: Breaking into Content Marketing
• New Episode: Discovery Calls

PS. This episode is sponsored by our friends at Bump Inbound and Ercule recently released a course called Content Strategy Quickstart. In just a few hours, this course will teach you how to create a B2B content strategy – from scratch. It's designed to help your clients get more out of their content marketing, and to help you confidently sell a high-dollar service.

Content Strategy Quickstart features 50 pages of detailed, step-by-step guides, 9 instructional videos, and 5 templates, covering topics from audience research, to SEO, to content distribution. Use the code "writers-coop" to get $100 off.

How do you plan a career trajectory when there are infinite options and no set paths? Freelancers can struggle with career building because there are no managers to give you raises, and no obvious career ladder. But there are some common ways to build skills and move up in the industry. In this episode, Jenni and Wudan talk about growing your writing career. They discuss applying for grants, the pros and cons of enrolling in a masters program, how to get experience on the job, pitching ambitious projects and setting goals for yourself, and how to stay intentional about where you want to go. Freelancer and resume wizard Adina Salomon also joins the hosts to talk about tips and tricks for polishing up your freelancer resume.

Resources:

• The Season 1 workbook lives here.
• If you're just getting started with your freelance business, you'll want to enroll in freelance biz school @ The Writers’ Co-op Academy! We're offering two courses: One that helps you build a business plan (Biz Basics)-- and that includes a section about planning for retirement + working skill building into your plan -- and one to help you understand media contracts. It's like 1-1 coaching, but cheaper.
• As you plan your career, check out our webinars and worksheets on that topic. (Our favorite is this one.) 

As always, you're invited to support the podcast by becoming an official Writers' Co-op member on Patreon. All members $3 and up get access to event discounts, a Q&A form, and more. All-Access members receive special worksheets and other downloads along with each episode, plus an exclusive episode at the end of each season, and access to our Slack channel. And if you're a VIP or Pod Squad member, you also get monthly coaching sessions along with the aforementioned resources.  If you're not a member, you can buy each episode's accompanying resources a la carte on our website. Episode transcriptions are also available there.

Have you had a wildly successful discovery call? All-access members are already continuing the conversation in our Slack, which you can join at any time via patreon.com/twcpod. 

Other notes:

• Learn about how to determine your business values: https://www.thewriterscooppod.com/episodes/wtf-am-i-doing
• Missed a past event of ours? Or digging for a resource mentioned on a previous episode? You’ll find what you need at https://www.thewriterscooppod.com/
• Finally, if you’re just discovering us and want some guidance on navigating contracts, or building out a business plan for your freelance business, check out our self-paced courses on our Teachable page.

• Buy the season 1 workbook here.
• Snag our business planning workbook here.
• If you're just getting started with your freelance business, you'll want to enroll in freelance biz school @ The Writers’ Co-op Academy! We're offering two courses: One that helps you build a business plan (Biz Basics) and one to help you understand media contracts. It's like 1-1 coaching, but cheaper.
• We've also hosted webinars on taxes, planning for retirement, and beyond, which you can download on our website.  

As always, you're invited to support the podcast by becoming an official Writers' Co-op member on Patreon. All members $3 and up get access to event discounts, a Q&A form, and more. All-Access members receive special worksheets and other downloads along with each episode, plus an exclusive episode at the end of each season, and access to our Slack channel. And if you're a VIP or Pod Squad member, you also get monthly coaching sessions along with the aforementioned resources.  If you're not a member, you can buy each episode's accompanying resources a la carte on our website. Episode transcriptions are also available there.

Missed a past event of ours? Or digging for a resource mentioned on a previous episode? You’ll find what you need at https://www.thewriterscooppod.com/ 

If you’re just discovering us and want some guidance on navigating conflicts, or building out a business plan for your freelance business, check out our self-paced courses on our Teachable page.

if you’re just discovering us and want some guidance on navigating contracts, or building our a business plan for your freelance business, check out our self-paced courses on our Teachable page. We'd also love to hear from you at thewriterscoop2@gmail.com, and you can always join the Co-op on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/twcpod

• You can buy our season 1 workbook here.
• Grab our business planning workbook here.
• And you might consider enrolling in freelance biz school @ The Writers’ Co-op Academy! We're offering two courses: One that helps you build a business plan (Biz Basics) and one to help you understand media contracts. It's like 1-1 coaching, but cheaper.

As always, you're also invited to support the podcast by becoming an official Writers' Co-op member on Patreon. All members $3 and up get access to event discounts and more. All-Access members receive special worksheets and other downloads along with each episode, plus an exclusive episode at the end of each season, and access to our Slack channel. If you're not a member, you can buy each episode's accompanying resources a la carte on our website. Episode transcriptions are also available there.

If you have questions, episode ideas, or just want to share how your freelance journey is going, we’re always open to hearing about it. Email us at thewriterscoop2@gmail.com.

But when we asked you about layoffs on Twitter, you also reminded us that there are incredible silver linings to being laid off! For many of us, layoffs pushed us into freelancing. And in freelancing, we found confidence, freedom and belonging.

In today’s episode, Jenni tells her layoff story. Then we get into the typical process – we call it the four stages of layoff grief and acceptance – that most of us will go through when a job disappears from under our feet. If you’d like to process along with us, you can find our survival guide worksheet in the TWC store.

Meanwhile, we’re wrapping up the official 4th season of TWC. Today we’re sending out our bonus episode to TWC members only – this one is all about perfectionism and it is so good! If you’re not a TWC member, you can always join us here: https://www.patreon.com/twcpod

But good news: We’ll also be releasing episodes throughout the spring on a monthly basis, before Jenni goes on maternity leave. And in the meantime, we’re also continuing to offer events, newsletters and more. If you have episode ideas or questions you’d like us to cover, don’t hesitate to drop us a line via thewriterscoop2@gmail.com.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also be interested in the book Burnout: https://www.amazon.com/Burnout-Secret-Unlocking-Stress-Cycle/dp/198481706X

You can find Wudan's article about journalism + identity here: https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2021/journalism-isnt-who-you-are-its-what-you-do/

Here's our business planning workbook: https://www.thewriterscooppod.com/resources/p/your-freelance-business-plan-1

And you can explore values in this book: https://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Work-Playbook-Navigating/dp/0451495675

In this episode, Jenni and Wudan dive deep into why we tend to people-please as freelancers, the harm it can cause our freelance businesses, and ways to unlearn this habit. We mention two resources that are available to Patreon All Access members (which you can become at any time via patreon.com/twcpod): a worksheet on defining your boundaries, and a tipsheet about how to enforce them with clients! You can also buy those a la carte here: https://www.thewriterscooppod.com/resources

How have you unlearned being a people pleaser as it relates to your business? We would love to hear from you: thewriterscoop2@gmail.com

Life is unpredictable and medical/ caregiving leave is one of those benefits freelancers usually miss out on. So we’ll also propose some strategies for planning for a leave financially, structurally and emotionally. If you’re planning on taking some kind of leave soon, you can download a worksheet to help you plan that leave here. You should also check out this list of PFML (Paid Family and Medical Leave) states.

With parenting and our health, there are seasons. Seasons of hustle, seasons of rest, seasons of inspiration, seasons of boredom. Seasons of creativity and seasons of feeling stuck in the mud. This is life, for better or for worse. And the best way to accommodate those seasons is to plan for them as best as you can, but also leave room to be flexible. Which is, of course, the magic and misery of freelancing.

How have you planned for a leave of absence in the past? We’d love to hear your thoughts on Twitter or via email: thewriterscoop2@gmail.com.

We'll discuss each of these issues, and also talk about how to combat them. If you’re looking for our resources that accompany this episode, you can snag them when you join as a Patreon member at the All Access level or above.

How else do you like to combat overwork? We’d love to hear from you: thewriterscoop2@gmail.com.

Check out our limiting beliefs episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3qNrdRSdLpjnF6EtV4e92e

Struggling to manage capacity? You may find this worksheet helpful: https://www.thewriterscooppod.com/resources/p/worksheet-mapping-your-capacity

This episode is sponsored by Control. Control invites freelancers to smooth out their lumpy incomes & take control of their finances with an exclusive membership! For your monthly fee, you will be able to:

• Automatically smooth out your lumpy income
• Manage your income and expenses with a Control bank account and Visa Debit card
• Get valuable financial insights with our sleek dashboard
• Access member perks on tools that freelancers actually use

This is all included for $25/month, no interest or extra fees! AND control will be free for beta users for the first year of service.  And its worth mentioning that Control is for freelancers who are US residents and making more than $50K/year.

Get peace of mind and save time on your freelance finances. Join the Control waitlist to be a part of the future of freelance finances by visiting their website: https://bit.ly/controlhq_twc 

If you haven’t yet checked out our Patreon program, consider giving it a look this January. We’re offering small-group coaching (Pod Squads) and drop-in office hours with Wudan. Plus, our All-Access membership includes event and resource discounts, access to the TWC Slack channel, and more.

We’re also excited to launch a bunch of events in 2022, and welcome your feedback on topics we haven’t yet addressed! Our first event of the year will focus on finding new clients; we promise you’ll walk away with dozens of ideas from seasoned pros Jen A. Miller and Matt Villano. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-year-new-clients-tickets-220341556527

If you’re feeling those back-to-school vibes, check out our resource store and grab webinars and worksheets on business planning, retirement planning, passive revenue, working in content marketing, and so much more.

Today's episode is sponsored by Meteor, a podcast for science journalists who want to impact the world in a positive way. Listen wherever you podcast!

Today’s episode is sponsored by OutVoice, which has a mission we can get behind. Too often, freelancers have to spend months tracking down overdue, unpaid invoices. OutVoice fixes that. It’s the only freelance management system built for publishing, by freelancers. If you’re interested in joining them on their mission to fix these industry-wide payment problems for good, follow them on Twitter at @OutVoicePay.

Today’s episode is sponsored by OutVoice, which has a mission we can get behind. Too often, freelancers have to spend months tracking down overdue, unpaid invoices. OutVoice fixes that. It’s the only freelance management system built for publishing, by freelancers. If you’re interested in joining them on their mission to fix these industry-wide payment problems for good, follow them on Twitter at @OutVoicePay.

If you haven't already, check out our season 3 episode on inflection points, which is a great accompaniment to this episode.

How have you leveled up in your business so far? Where could you level up in 2022? We’d love to hear your ideas -- hit us up on Twitter or email. You can join our Patreon membership program at any time at patreon.com/twcpod.

For questions or comments: @TWC_pod or thewriterscooppod2@gmail.com

We're wrapping up season 3 with a chat about balancing your passion projects with work that pays the bill. Wudan digs in with freelancer Joshua Eaton. Joshua is an investigative reporter based in Washington DC. Prior to freelancing, he was on investigative teams at CQ Roll Call and Think Progress. His work has also appeared at NBC News, The Washington Post, ProPublica, The Boston Globe and elsewhere. You can find him on Twitter @joshua_eaton.

Joshua and Wudan talked about journalism and ethics, setting boundaries with ourselves, confronting scarcity mindset, and more. We think freelance investigative journalists are in an especially tough space when it comes to finding anchor clients that help pay the bills while also chasing stories that can take seemingly infinite time. So in this episode, you'll hear about a wide range of services and possibilities for possible anchor clients Joshua could bring on, which will help him free up brain space and provide stability -- and also help him (and all of us!) break out of instinct to say yes to whatever opportunity comes our way. More importantly, it’s empowering to see that more work comes if we say no to projects that don’t meet our rates. More work comes when we have to fire a client. This abundance mindset builds confidence and resilience in our freelance businesses, no matter what!

Along with this episode, our Patreon members received a worksheet to help them balance pay and passion visually. You can snag that worksheet here.

Burnout may be common for freelancers and small business owners, but you don't have to live with it. If you've listened to TWC episodes before, you know that Wudan and Jenni believe that time off, and the introspection required to combat burnout-related patterns, are key to running a sustainable business. And that's what Jenni is chatting about on this episode Katie Navarra, a freelance writer from Upstate NY. Katie started her career exclusively as an equine journalist and expanded into agriculture, education and leadership. Today she is transitioning to content marketing and life coaching.

During this coaching session, it became pretty obvious that Katie was feeling apathetic about her work. She’s found great success in equine journalism but now she’s excited about something else. We loved two things about this conversation: First, Katie was able to identify the opposite of burnout for her -- which was the feeling of being in the ring with her horse. It was a feeling of freedom, and we talked about how to harness that (no pun intended) in future months.

Second, we love that Katie and Jenni landed on time off as a good solution. Let's be clear: time off isn’t the only way to cure burnout, nor is it possible for everyone. Usually, burnout is indicative of a systemic issue (sometimes within your control, and sometimes due to factors outside of your control). So even if you take time off, you’ll come back into a situation that will cause that exact same problem all over again. BUT, Katie wanted to take time off -- like, two whole months off! -- to rehash her business plan and figure out what she wants next. Her goal is to come back to an entirely different situation, and she needs time away to figure out how to get herself into what is essentially an entirely new career.

When Katie and Jenni caught up a few weeks ago (we recorded this episode at the beginning of the summer of 2021), Katie shared that she’s designated not two, but three whole months off this winter. Who says freelancers can’t step away from their work? With strategic planning, anything is possible.

You can download resources for this episode in our banish burnout booster pack which contains journal prompts, a worksheet on signals of burnout, an ideal client mad libs page, and a business audit. 

This week’s episode is sponsored by Lili. Lili is the first online bank account specifically designed for freelancers, where you can manage both your personal and business finances, all from the same place. With Lili, you can organize all your purchases the same way you organize your dating preferences, by swiping left for life and right for work. If you sign up using code thewriterscoop, they’ll add 25 free dollars to your account when you spend $250 within the first 45 days.

As freelancers, we don’t get what we don’t ask for. If we don't ask our favorite clients for more work, we probably won't get it. The good news is, there’s a really easy fix for coming back to clients who you want to continue a relationship with: Build that process into your business plan. At the close of every project, decide how you want to continue the relationship. Maybe you want to ditch the client altogether -- that’s completely legit. But if you’ve got the space to continue that relationship, say so! If you’re looking to offer other services to that same client, tell them!

This week on the show, Wudan coached Mahima Jain on this very topic. Mahima is an independent journalist based in India who writes about environment, gender, and society. She has published in Indian and global publications such as the Fuller Project, BBC, Earth Island Journal, The Caravan Magazine and others. Her work has been supported by several international grants and fellowships (Earth Journalism Network, International Women’s Media Foundation, and others). You can check out more of her work at: https://mahimajain.in or on Twitter @theplainjain or Instagram @mahima.a.jain.

Mahima has done a lot of great work and it makes sense to continue building the relationships she has. But because journalism assignments are often presented in a one-and-done fashion, she finds projects sailing away once they wrap up --  even though she’s eager to work with those same editors again.

We can psychoanalyze to no end why freelancers tend to let good clients go. Maybe there’s a part of us that feels like “it’s too soon” to ask for more work. We don’t want to feel like we’re coming on “too strong” to a client. But Wudan's personal philosophy is this: It doesn’t hurt to tell people where you stand. Maybe you want to work together but not immediately, since you’re already booked for the next month or so.  Or maybe you’d love to start on another assignment because the experience of working with them was so positive. Say so.

You can buy this week’s resources related to client management in our store! (And if you’re a Patreon member, you’ll get them for free!) We have tipsheets on onboarding, offboarding, and reviving inactive clients. We want you to work with people and companies who treat you with respect.

If you haven't already, we hope you'll check out our online course on business planning; it'll help you think through what you need and want in your business.

After Jenni and Emma met for their coaching session, Emma totally revamped her bio -- and we love it. Here's the new version: Emma Diehl is a writer and editor specializing in finance, tech, and real estate content. Her specialty is mastering tricky topics (stuff like tax returns, AI, and home inspections) in a way that makes it easy for everyone to understand. When she's not combing through technical documents and research, she's fermenting stuff in her kitchen, learning to skateboard, and curating a pop culture recommendation newsletter. You can find her on Twitter and can read more about her work at https://www.emmadiehl.com/.

In this episode, Emma and Jenni spent a long time discussing how to bring your authentic self into your business (including your weird quirks). Emma ended up feeling hugely relieved: She didn't have to be anyone else; she was enough. They also talked about the benefits of adding play into our daily lives, so that your inner-child mindset can trickle into your business. 

If you want to dig into marketing alongside Emma, you can download the market yourself booster pack or join our Patreon program for free worksheets. This week, one worksheet walks you through revamping your website, and another is focused on journaling about why you’re a unique person and worker. The third worksheet is an exercise that comes from the book The Artist’s Way, and it’s focused on making time for play through an artist’s date. 

You can also sign up for the TWC online course on business planning here; we think it's been useful for just about everyone who's enrolled so far, whether they're new or experienced freelancers.

This week, along with the episode, Patreon members get access to a worksheet that will help them identify the next right thing (which is a whole lot easier than picking a long-term, gigantic career direction), and a second worksheet about planning experiments. You can join our membership program any time.

As always, we’d love to hear about your successful and failed experiments on Twitter or in our email inbox. And if you haven’t yet, please subscribe to TWC or leave a review. 

This week promotional support for the Writers’ Co-op comes from The Creative Nonfiction Podcast. Now in its ninth year and hosted by Brendan O'Meara, CNF Pod brings together the best of narrative journalism, memoir, essay, poetry and documentary film to talk about the art and craft of telling true stories. We love listening to CNF Pod and have both been guests. Brendan is fantastic. Other past CNF Pod guests have included Patrick Radden Keefe, Susan Orlean, Chuck Klosterman and US. You can subscribe wherever you get

This week's coaching session includes a conversation all about balancing your energy in your business. Wudan chats with Maria Paula Rubiano, a freelance journalist based in Colombia. Maria covers environmental justice, and she just graduated from New York University’s Science Health and Reporting Program last winter. She's now an early-career fellow at The Open Notebook. You can check out her work at mariapaularubiano.com and follow her on Twitter: @pau_erre.

Wudan and Maria talk about building confidence and business planning, which will feel like familiar ground for those of you tuning into each episode so far this season. (Have we mentioned that so many of us struggle with the same things? You're not alone!) Then they get into bandwidth. For instance, reporting and writing are oftentimes very vulnerable. Creating things is an act of vulnerability, and vulnerability takes a lot of energy out of us! Listen as Wudan helps Maria anchor herself by adding another service to her roster that is not super demanding.

If you’re an All-Access member and higher, you’ll get access to several resources along with this episode: a worksheet that helps you evaluate your services based on bandwidth, and a modified confidence log -- a negotiation log -- to track your negotiation wins. If you’re looking to purchase these resources a la carte, we got you: They’re online here.

By the way: Listeners of this podcast may also enjoy the podcast Is This Working? Now in its fifth season, Is This Working? is a podcast where two best friends have honest conversations about money, careers and success. Listen wherever you podcast!

If you’ve ever struggled with asking for more money or better terms from a client, this episode is for you. Jenni sits down with Jennifer Barton, a freelance writer, editor and copywriter from New York City. She currently lives in London and has contributed essays and features to a range of publications including The Telegraph magazines, The Independent, Stylist, HuffPost, Metro, Vogue Business, Parents, Mashable and Insider, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her cuddling and/ or chasing her four children, rollerskating, hunting for treasure in thrift shops, dreaming of new electric hair colors and piercings and reading. She also pays tribute to her late mother through anecdotes and outfits in a visual grief diary of sorts on Instagram @jenbnyc. And you'll find a (much quieter) version of her on Twitter @jenbnyc.

Jennifer is in the midst of what Jenni calls a "radical transformation" in her career. She knows she wants to step up and change her client base. She’s craving asking for more money and better terms, and wants to do work that excites her. But often, even if she knows what she wants, she struggles to ask her clients for it. (Girl, us too.) We talked about what makes that risk worth it (for her: creative challenge and enthusiasm) and what kind of work she’d really like to be doing.

Jennifer has a few options for how to move forward. Some of her clients will fit in with her new business plan. But if she keeps them, she’ll probably want to ask them for something better. On the flip side, some of her other clients may not fit with her new direction, and that’s okay. Firing clients isn’t easy but it’s one of the only ways you can create space in your business for new direction and growth. To help Jennifer remember that she’s a badass, Jenni assigned her a confidence log (check out our confidence booster pack to get access to that resource and other confidence-building tools). 

She also got a worksheet to help her figure out what she needs from current clients, plus a template to use when she decides to send those emails. You can find those resources in our online store as part of the “Ask for Better” Booster pack. Patreon members get those resources for free! 

Have you had success firing a client, or asking for something new? If so, we want to hear about what worked for you, and how you convinced yourself to take the risk. Send us a DM or tweet @TWC_pod to share your story.

Looking for coaching? Both Jenni and Wudan offer coaching through their own businesses and through TWC. You can also take a self-guided look at your business via our online courses.

Listeners of this podcast may also enjoy the podcast Is This Working? Now in its fifth season, Is This Working? is the podcast where two best friends have honest conversations about money, careers and success. Listen wherever you podcast!